The present invention relates generally to an eyeglass assembly and eyeglass frames, and more particularly to an improved separable interchangeable eyeglass frame, having a lower frame assembly for holding an eyeglass lens and a detachable upper frame member which may be interchanged with other detachable upper frame members which may be of different colors and styles.
For years, people having vision which needed correction were restricted to correcting that vision with prescription spectacles or eyeglasses. The cost of prescription eyeglasses has restricted most people from having more than one pair until a new prescription was required. The face of this person having poor vision seemed destined to be hidden behind a single pair of glasses for one or two years, or even longer.
The advent of contact lenses, and particularly the soft contact lenses and the water permeable extended wear contact lenses, seemed to be a viable alternative for these people. However, recent studies suggest that wearing contact lenses may be damaging to one's eyes. Furthermore, for those people needing correction of both near and far vision, contact lenses cannot substitute for the traditional bifocal and trifocal eyeglasses.
Thus, there has been a trend back toward the wearing of eyeglasses. However, all of the old problems still remain. For example, eyeglass frames are susceptible to damage and breakage, particularly at the bridge or nosepiece, at the hinge, and at the temple pieces. Even with today's "Eyeglasses In One Hour" optometrist services, one still has the inconvenience of travel to the optometrist's place of business and the one hour wait.
Furthermore, during the first month or two after a new prescription is introduced, one's eyes go through a process of visual training. During visual training, the eyes adjust to the new prescription. During this period of visual training, the lenses are often changed, requiring that a whole new set of frames be made to accommodate the new lenses.
Other interchangeable frame members have been used with skiing glasses having a single, thin tinted plastic lens. The lens of the ski glasses has a substantially straight upper edge and an opposing lower edge having a nose-receiving recess. The ski glasses have an elongated frame having a lens-receiving slot and two temple pieces pivotally attached to each end of the elongated frame. The ski glasses also include a nose pad piece having a slot for receiving the nose recess of the lens. The single lens is retained within the nosepiece and frame slots by friction.
The nose pad piece, frame and temple members of the ski glasses may be of different colors. These different colored pieces may be assembled together by a skier to form ski glasses which coordinate with the skier's clothes. One such brand of ski glasses is sold under the tradename OAKLEY'S BLADES.TM.. Another brand of ski glasses having a removable nose piece is sold under the trademark LEISURE TIME.RTM., and the other being sold under the tradename OAKLEY'S BLADES.TM..
These ski glasses are not capable of receiving two separate lenses, such as prescription lenses having different optic properties to correct variations in the eyesight of each of a wearer's eyes. Furthermore, these known ski glasses are susceptible to accidental disassembly, such as during a skier's fall on the ski slopes.
Thus, a need exists for an improved eyeglass assembly and eyeglass frame which is not susceptible to the above limitations and disadvantages.